The History
External pic and history mostly borrowed from http://cinematreasures.org/
Located in Southall, Middlesex, on the west side of London. The King’s Hall was built in 1916 and was designed by architect Sir Alfred Gelder of Hull. The King’s Hall building has a 3-storey red brick and stone facade. It was operated by the Uxbridge and Southall Wesleyan Mission and it was soon screening religious films.
By 1926, it was operating as a regular 1500 seat single screen cinema, still managed by the Methodist church.
The King’s Hall Cinema was closed in 1937. It then reverted back to a Methodist Church use, and was known as the King’s Hall Methodist Church until it closed.
Following a series of reports and surveys detailing the condition of King’s Hall and the work required to return it to a satisfactory condition for continued use, the King’s Hall Trustees decided to close the building with effect from 31st January 2013 and to offer it for sale on the open market.
The Explore
We sat chatting a few nights ago about how hard it was going to be for us to beat "The Millennium Falcon experience” and we didn’t quite know what to look for next.
Well the next day @slayaaaa noticed a funny shaped building on google earth and off we trotted.
We did a quick reccy one night but decided against it in the dark as it looked pretty dilapidated and there was a guy having a BBQ out in the street next door at midnight lol
So a few afternoons later, I picked up @Urban Diaries and @slayaaaa and we were off to Southall.
Although between us and Southall we happened to find a 24hr Subway so stopped for a quick lunch break
Once we got there we parked up and wandered around for a bit, Hmm this was going to be tough, The guy around the corners BBQ had now become a full on bonfire and the street out the front was massively busy, with a bus stop opposite and a set of traffic lights at the end of the road.
The problem was the longer we waited the more conspicuous we became, three white guys in hoodies wearing rucksacks in a largely Asian area stood out like a sore thumb. In the end we just threw slayaaaa over the front hoarding and waited a phone call.
All we got back was a text saying fuuuuuuuk
Was he hurt? Had he been kidnapped and forced into being a rent boy?
Nope he had shinned up and drain pipe and was inside.
Now the next bit took a while as myself and Urban Diaries had to wait for a gap in the human traffic and jump over the hoarding.
Once we got inside we saw what slayaaaa’s Fuuuuuuuuk was all about.
Wow one of the most stunning places I have ever been in, don’t get me wrong the place was rotten and full of pigeon shit but so so so so stunning.
From the tiled walls to the stained glass windows it was awesome.
Then we walked into the auditorium.
I’m not lost for words often, but this was amazing, the seats, the roof, the screen….
We stayed here for a few hours snapping pics and chilling out.
When we eventually left under cover of darkness with a less than graceful exit over the hoarding after being spotted and shouted at by a local shop keeper, Thanks again Urban Diaries for catching me before I bounce into the road.
Please enjoy the pics and get there if you like a cinema J
